BRASELTON, Ga. (October 13, 2018) – The No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 took the checkered flag at the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta in Braselton, Ga, finishing tenth. The final moments of the 10-hour race found the No. 15, driven by Jack Hawksworth at the back of the GTD class, despite a beginning that looked promising.

The early hours of the endurance race included Hawksworth in the lead in the No. 15 and the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 fighting in the top five for the first five hours.

Hawksworth, who qualified P2 on Friday, earned third fastest lap of the race with his qualifying lap of 1:19:732.

“Our day started off really well,” Hawksworth said. “The car balance was very good. We were surprisingly good over the long runs. The Lexus was competitive on old tires which is something we struggled with (this season). I was very optimistic after the first couple of stints. Led the race for quite a long time during the first two or three hours and then various things got to us and at the end we had one of the calipers explode and we completely lost our brakes. Obviously, the brakes going was kind of the nail in the coffin. The crew did a good job. It just wasn’t our day.”

Hawksworth’s co-driver, David Heinemeier Hansson, said he was disappointed with the end of the race, but he was also thrilled with the stints he drove, agreeing with Hawksworth that the early hours were best.

“My stints were great today. The car was super quick so as long as it was working it was a rocket ship but, unfortunately, we had some issues along the way and we couldn’t make it to the end on the brakes so that was a bummer,” he said. “We showed we definitely had the pace and I think we led quite a few laps with Jack (Hawksworth) in the car and when I was out there the car was as quick as it was going to be. Got to do a bunch of fun passes and compete. It’s just a shame we couldn’t compete for the win at the end.”

The No. 14 car did not finish after mechanical issues forced the car out of the race after the halfway point. Dominik Baumann qualified the No. 14 on Friday, starting the race P8, but quickly moved up through the traffic when the race began at 11:05 a.m.

“Qualifying was not the best,” Baumann said. “But I knew I could make up some places at the beginning of the race. I did a double stint and our Lexus felt great. I had some good fights out there and it felt promising that we’d go further into the race. We did a pit stop and I got back in the car and then I lost a wheel going out of the box. I don’t know what really happened. I tried to bring the car back, but I just had no drive. It didn’t accelerate, and the car may have been damaged trying to come back. It had to go on the tow truck and we had to retire the race unfortunately.”

3GT Racing Technical Director, John Gentilozzi, said he gives full credit to the No. 14 crew for fighting through everything, but it became apparent that retiring the car was the right decision.

“It was a tough deal with the No. 14 car but going any further with it wouldn’t have changed the position in points, so it was better not to take a risk with the car, and perhaps someone else’s race,” Gentilozzi said. “As for the No. 15 car, it was running really well, unfortunately the brake wear was a little faster than we thought, and we had to make that change for the brakes which pretty much put us at the back. But we took the checkered flag for 3GT Racing and for Lexus. We start looking forward to next season.”

No. 14 co-driver, Kyle Marcelli, called the race a bittersweet way to end the season.

“It’s really been a season full of highs and lows,” he said. “We had a good amount of success in the sprint races with two victories and a second-place podium. I think 3GT Racing and Lexus should be happy with those results. The endurance races have not been our friend this year. Everybody gives it their best. There’s certainly nothing left on the table. Today we had a pretty good race car. We were fighting in the top-five for the first six hours. It’s been a lot of fun to work with Dominik (Baumann) for the season and to have Philipp Frommenwiler join us for the endurance races, I couldn’t have asked for better teammates.”

Endurance drivers, Philipp Frommenwiler in the No. 14 Lexus RC F GT3 and Sean Rayhall in the No. 15, were both happy to be part of the race and disappointed in the final standings.

“I’ve enjoyed my experience a lot this year,” said Frommenwiler who also raced at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and at Sebring. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have the luck on our side in the endurance races. That’s part of endurance racing. The guys had the success in the sprint races.”

“This is my favorite race of the season. It’s unfortunate it ended the way it did. 3GT Racing gave us a great Lexus RC F. It was really fast. We struggled a little bit during the day time, but man the car was really coming alive there right before we started to have some gremlins,” Rayhall said. “I’m just really thankful to be a part of this project, be a part of this team and to finish out this season with a strong effort. Really proud of all the guys.”

The season ends for the No. 14 and No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 having earned two wins in the No. 14, Mid-Ohio SportsCar Course and Virginia International Raceway and a second-place podium at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Jack Hawksworth earned four pole positions and the team finished top five in more than half of this year’s races and earned six of the quickest GTD race laps (five by Hawksworth and one by Baumann).

3GT Racing Managing Partner Paul Gentilozzi said this last race, the Motul Petit Le Man, was a tough race and it would have been better had it been two hours shorter.

“It should be called the 10-hour adventure of Petit Le Mans,” he said. “It’s tough. It’s getting to be every bit as tough a race as Sebring. It’s a 10-hour sprint race and we led, we were fast, but we didn’t finish well. That makes it a failure in my book. But we’ll move on. Lots of good stuff coming. The thing about racing is that you remember your last race until your next race. And then we’ll forget all of this. And it just can’t come soon enough for me.”

About 3GT Racing
3GT Racing was formed to race the Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his longtime partners, Tony and John Gentilozzi, the East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 48 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.

BRASELTON, GA (October 12, 2018) — It was close. With a fastest lap less than half a tenth of a second behind the pole winner, Jack Hawksworth in the No. 15 Lexus RC F GT3 will start tomorrow’s Motul Petit Le Mans in at the front.

Hawksworth said he was happy with his lap time of 1:19:73 and the chance to start in the second position in the last race of the season.

Hawksworth has earned four pole awards during the 2018 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship season, Mid-Ohio, Watkins Glen, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Virginia International Raceway. Many were hoping this would have been his fifth.

“I’d rather have five poles than four, but four is ok,” he said. “There was just enough left on the car to have one more stint. But we’re happy with it. The performance of the car was good.”

He and co-driver, David Heinemeier Hansson, have accumulated four top-five finishes this season in the No. 15 Lexus and Hawksworth has amassed five fastest laps, the four poles and a fastest lap at Lime Rock. The No. 15 team is joined by Sean Rayhall for this weekend’s 10-hour endurance race.

Hawksworth said there had been some braking issues during some of the practice sessions this weekend, but the crew came together and had it fixed in time for today’s 15-minute qualifying session.

“We’re really happy with the car now and I think it bodes well for the race,” he said.

Dominik Bauman qualified in the No 14 Lexus RC F GT3 and will start the race eighth.

“It’s a ten-hour race. But we have a good car,” Baumann said. “The race set-up was really good, so we will just have to try to make up some places. Sure, it’s a little disappointing that it’s only eighth, but we have a good driver line-up for the race and we are looking forward to it.”

Philipp Frommenwiler will join Baumann and co-driver, Kyle Marcelli for the race.

3GT Racing Managing Partner Paul Gentilozzi said he’s happy to see Hawksworth starting at the front of the race.

“We’re always wanting to be first, every time we go on the race track,” said Gentilozzi said. “Today, we’re first of the teams that raced the whole season. We’re second overall in our class. And I think it’s wonderful that we can expose the performance in all of the cars that are here, Ferrari, Audi, Porsche, and Lexus. This is the last race of the year, there’s no reason to hold back. We like it.”

About 3GT Racing
3GT Racing was formed to race the Lexus RC F GT3. Owned and operated by five-time Trans-Am Series Champion, Paul Gentilozzi and his longtime partners, Tony and John Gentilozzi, the East Lansing, Michigan-based team principals have been involved in motorsports for more than 48 years and have claimed more than 75 victories and 15 manufacturer and driver championships.